Mitt Romney might have a shot at a game changer that actually works in his favor.

Speculation has been rampant for the last several days that former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice might be on Romney's short list for vice president.

Unlike Sarah Palin, who all but destroyed John McCain's chances, Rice might be just what the doctor ordered for Romney.

She's smart, has foreign policy credentials that are unquestioned and would certainly make the race a lot more interesting than it is now.

Romney is getting his nose bloodied by President Obama's incessant pounding on Bain Capital and his tax returns. Unable to seize the initiative and make the race about the economy, which by any measure should make Obama unelectable, Romney needs a spark.

Rice would immediately tap into African-Americans and women, two areas where Obama holds substantial leads.

Whether she would agree to be on the ticket remains a question. She has said she is not interested. But if your country comes calling ...

Anyway, barring putting Chris Christie on the ticket, you gotta love the idea of Rice. She would erase the memory of Palin and immediately energize the race.

With the start of the Summer Olympics fast approaching, Obama and Romney are going to be hard-pressed to get media coverage.

Rice would help in that department, too.

Here’s my question to you: How much would Condoleezza Rice as v.p. help the Romney campaign?

Tune in to the Situation Room at 4pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.

And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.

If Mitt Romney wants to be president, he's going to need help from voters who aren't old white men.

He's got his work cut out for him.

A Politico piece headlined "Barack Obama's group therapy” describes how the re-election campaign has been reaching out to key voting groups by focusing on issues like the contraception fight, equal pay for women, gay marriage, student loans and immigration policy.

While Mitt Romney is now cruising toward the Republican nomination, he's a long way from cruising into the White House. And the two biggest reasons might be women and Hispanics.

During the primaries he was forced to the right on issues concerning both women and immigration - and he now emerges as damaged goods among those groups.

But the damage may not be permanent. One of the ways he can recover is by selecting either a woman or a Hispanic as a running mate.

Polls suggest President Obama holds a 20-point lead among women. Many women were turned off by Romney's comments about birth control and getting "rid of Planned Parenthood."

There is speculation women like New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez - also a Hispanic - and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley could be on Romney's short list. There is a limit though. It's a safe bet Sarah Palin probably isn't on that list.

As for the Hispanic vote, Romney is in even worse shape. One poll says he trails President Obama by 40 points.

Experts say Romney needs to win at least 40% of the Latino vote to win the election.

Enter Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who has suddenly been campaigning with Romney. A lot of people think Rubio would make the perfect running mate.

On the other hand, it's possible Romney's VP pick will be neither a woman nor a Hispanic.

The guy just can't take a hint. And at this point he's likely hurting not only the Republican Party, but his own political legacy.

As Politico describes it, "the former House Speaker has decided to cap off a historic career by spending the final weeks of the campaign in a sort of political purgatory."

But that won't stop Newt. He's pledging to stay in the race all the way to the convention in Tampa. He's hoping against hope for some extraordinary situation where Mitt Romney can't get enough delegates and Rick Santorum is seen as unelectable.

The problem is he's out of money. His big Super PAC donor Sheldon Adelson - who has donated more than $15 million - says Gingrich is "at the end of his line."

There are no debates left to boost Gingrich, he can't afford to travel, he's fired much of his staff and even the media attention is dwindling.

People are using words like "laughingstock" and "delusional" to describe the former Speaker of the House. Sad really.

For his part, Gingrich insists he's staying in the race to shape the political conversation. And talk about his ideas like $2.50 a gallon gas. But no one is listening anymore.

A CNN/ORC Poll shows 6 out of 10 Republicans say Gingrich should drop out of the race. Also, a majority of Republicans say their party's nomination should be determined by the primaries - not the convention.

It was all there for the taking, but once again Mitt Romney came up a little short.

Romney's inability to score a knockout on Super Tuesday means the Republican blood bath continues - much to the delight of President Obama and the Democrats.

Romney scored a key victory over Rick Santorum in Ohio and won five other states as well, but his losses were far more telling.

For starters, the former Massachusetts governor has problems in the South, where he couldn't top 28% in any of the contested states. He lost both Georgia and Tennessee.

And as we've seen from the start, Romney has serious issues with the base. Some will never see him as a true conservative. They'd rather back Santorum, who is still fighting the culture wars - talking about birth control, religion and how JFK's stance on the separation of church and state made him want to vomit.

Independents are another sore spot for Romney. One poll shows his unfavorable ratings 16-points higher than his favorable ratings among them.

CNN's Howard Kurtz writes in The Daily Beast that there's something distinctly unimpressive about Romney's performance against Santorum - an underfunded former U.S. Senator who lost his last re-election bid by 18-points.

Kurtz says Romney, "projects competence but does not inspire."

Romney is still the party's likely nominee, but it could take a couple more months to wrap it up.

By the way, there is no way Gingrich, Santorum or Paul is going to be the next president. So isn't it past time for them to put their party ahead of themselves and drop out? Apparently not.

Here’s my question to you: Why can't Mitt Romney seal the deal?

Tune in to the Situation Room at 5pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.

And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.

With two more victories last night, Mitt Romney has recaptured the momentum that has been so elusive.

Headed into Super Tuesday next week, Romney should have the wind at his back, with his big win in Arizona and the more narrow victory in his home state of Michigan.

In addition, Romney has won four other primary contests: New Hampshire, Florida, Nevada and Maine. Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich have won five states combined. Ron Paul: Zero.

Romney is also back on top of the national polls, after briefly losing that spot to Santorum.

And perhaps Romney senses he may soon end this thing. He didn't mention Santorum at all in last night's speech, saving all his fire for President Obama and fixing the economy.

It's worth pointing out that Romney still has issues with the Republican base. Michigan exit polls showed that Santorum handily defeated Romney among voters who define themselves as "very conservative" and those who want a candidate with a strong moral character.

But even if many conservatives aren't crazy about Romney, it's becoming difficult to see a path to victory for any of his competitors.

Working in Romney's favor, he beat Santorum in Michigan among voters who care strongly about defeating the president and among those who say the economy is their top concern. He also won the Catholic vote, which is a strong rebuke of Santorum.

Meanwhile, the Republicans better get their business sorted out, and soon. CNBC reports that markets are already beginning to anticipate an Obama victory in November. Stocks are rising on growing expectations that the president will be re-elected.

Here’s my question to you: Can you hear the fat lady singing yet in the GOP race?

Tune in to the Situation Room at 5pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.

And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.

About this Blog:

Jack Cafferty sounds off hourly on the Situation Room on the stories crossing his radar. Now, you can check in with Jack online to see what he's thinking and weigh in with your own comments online and on TV.